The Marquette University men’s basketball team (4-1) continues a busy month of November on Monday when the squad hosts UMBC for a 7 p.m. CT opening tip at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Sports32 will feature the television broadcast in the southeast Wisconsin area, with Dennis Krause (play-by-play) and Jim McIlvaine (analyst) calling the action. The matchup will also be live on SportsNet New York and SNY-CT (Hartford). Marquette has claimed the previous three meetings with the Retrievers, most recently posting a 68-46 win over UMBC on Dec. 16, 2006 at home. Following Monday’s outing, the Golden Eagles will travel to Florida to face the Gators Thursday night in the SEC/BIG EAST Challenge at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

Marquette Rebounds For Fifth-Place Maui Finish

After dropping a heartbreaking 72-71 decision at the buzzer to Butler in the opener of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, the Golden Eagles responded to a pair of wins against Mississippi State and USC to claim fifth-place in the eight team field.

Butler claimed the opener after guard Rotnei Clarke knocked down a 25-foot, one-handed 3-pointer as time expired on Nov. 19. The Golden Eagles are now 24-6 overall since 2004-05 in multi-team events, including four championships at the BCA Classic (2005), Great Alaska Shootout (2006), CBE Classic (2007) and U.S. Virgin Island Paradise Jam (2011).

MU appeared in the championship contest of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational (2007), Chicago Invitational (2009) and the Old Spice Classic (2010).

Blue Earns Spot On Maui All-Tourney Team

Junior guard Vander Blue played his best basketball of the young season in Maui and as a result earned a spot on the all-tourney team for his efforts in the team’s three contests.

The Madison, Wis., native averaged a team-best 15.0 points per game in the trio of outings, shooting 55.6 percent from behind the 3-point line and 80.0 percent from the charity stripe. He netted 21 points in the opener against Butler and followed that up 18 points in the victory over Mississippi State.

For the season, Blue is contributing 11.4 points per game in 28.4 minutes per outing.

Junior forward Jamil Wilson celebrated his 22nd birthday on Nov. 21 by treating Marquette fans to a gift of his own, which was a career-best performance in the win over USC.

The Racine, Wis., native finished with a personal-best 19 points in 32 minutes of action off the bench. He shot 7-of-9 from the floor, including a 3-of-4 effort from behind the 3-point line. Wilson also found time to chip in six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot in the victory against a former Pac 12 opponent. Wilson played his freshman campaign at Oregon before transferring to Marquette.

For the season, Wilson is contributing 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Gardner’s Efficiency Hard To Miss

Despite playing just 19.8 minutes per night off the bench through five games for Marquette, junior forward Davante Gardner continues to lead the team in scoring.

He is currently contributing 14.2 points per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and is also tops on the roster with 7.4 rebounds per contest. Gardner finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds in 22 minutes against Mississippi State, his third double-doubles of his career. Both of his previous double-doubles came during the 2011-12 campaign.

The Suffolk, Va., native is currently ranked among the league leaders in four different categories, through games of Nov. 24. He is 17th in scoring (14.2 ppg.), 11th in rebounding (7.4 rpg.), 15th in field goal percentage (.529) and second in offensive rebounding (4.40 orpg.).

Bench Has Been Providing Spark At Both Ends

With the addition of junior Jamil Wilson to the bench corps in the last two outings, Marquette’s impressive advantage over opponents when comparing the contribution of the reserve units has been magnified.

MU’s group of players not in the starting lineup is currently contributing 34.2 points and 22.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.7 percent from the field as a unit and 41.7 percent from behind the 3-point line. Opposing reserves, however, are chipping in just 10.6 points and 9.8 boards per contest and shooting 36.4 percent from the floor overall and 15.8 percent from long distance.

Marquette has been led by Davante Gardner, who has appeared off the bench in all five outings, and Wilson (15.0 ppg. last two games).

Lockett Becoming Comfortable With Role

Senior guard Trent Lockett, who played the last three seasons at Arizona State, is settling into his role with the Golden Eagles in his lone campaign with the program.

The Golden Valley, Minn., native is currently chipping in 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in an average of just 22.2 minutes per night. He has started four of the squad’s five games and is tops on the roster in steals and defensive rebounds.

Lockett earned his undergraduate degree at ASU in three years and was granted a waiver by the NCAA allowing him to play in 2012-13 without sitting out. He is enrolled in the sports leadership master’s program at Marquette.